Blake's New Jerusalem

Tim Blake was ousted from Gong following the completion of their Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy in 1974. After a solo recording contract with Virgin stalled, Blake found himself back in France, near penniless and homeless. He then teamed up with light artist Patrice Warrener to help pilot the Crystal Machine into what was perhaps the first full-on laser light show experience. The duo presented the production at a couple of weeklong residencies in Paris in 1975, before eventually taking the extravaganza to Britain in 1976. Blake then secured a recording contract with Barclay Records progressive imprint, Egg. His first release, Crystal Machine, was a compilation of live recordings from 1976 and 1977 that provides a sterling example of his electronic technique; however, the album suffered from a less than stellar recording. Released the following year, Blake's New Jerusalem is a better representation of his art. Blake's synthesizer music was contemporaneous of the times, including with the works of the so-called Berlin School. But rather than purely instrumental vignettes, his studio recordings are more song-based, with Blake even taking a crack at vocals on a few tracks. The excellent "Song for a New Age" is exactly that, while the quicker tempo of "Generator (Laserbeam)" has a more modern slant. The lengthy "Passage Sur La Cité (Des Révélations)" reveals a stirring combination. Under a pulsing sequenced rhythm, Blake's bubbling and burbling synthesizers provide texture, while the Minimoog takes the lead; there's even a modicum of glissando guitar thrown in for good measure. The second side is encompassed by "Blake's New Jerusalem," perhaps the most fully-realized presentation of Blake's considerable talent on the synthesizer. Although there's a hippie vibe throughout, the album gives clear insight into his contribution to the Gong sound and his much-underrated skill as a writer. In fact, "Lighthouse" would have fit perfectly on any of the albums during Gong's trilogy era. The album also features Jean-Philippe Rykiel as a guest artist; the French synthesist would form a long relationship with Blake, and with Warrener and the Crystal Machine in tow, they would hit the road again in 1978, playing throughout Europe and Japan. (An unreleased album, Waterfalls In Space, was produced the same year.) However, when the expensive production eventually landed in 1979 (after an appearance at that year's Glastonbury Festival), Blake then turned to full-time work with his old Ladbroke Grove mates, Hawkwind.